It's time to set aside differences

Aug. 24, 2013

The air in Hattiesburg has been pretty hot since the June 4 general election, and it seems to keep getting hotter.

The most recent was a squabble between City Council members over selecting an election commission, which erupted in harsh words, angry epithets and racial tension. It was one we would not wish to see in the history books, yet it happened and will stick in the memories of those who witnessed its ugliness.

City Council members on Wednesday rejected by a 3-2 vote three of Mayor Johnny DuPree’s five candidates for the Hattiesburg Election Commission.

That outcome was pretty much a foregone conclusion after DuPree announced at Tuesday’s City Council meeting that he wished to bring back all five commissioners who certified the June 4 mayoral election that re-elected him, despite the issues during the election that saw DuPree earn a 37-vote victory over challenger Dave Ware.

“You created this. You knew what the vote would be,” City Council President Kim Bradley told DuPree at the end of the meeting.

Regardless of what the outcome would be, council members could have — and should have — handled the situation in a more professional manner.

Instead there was a lot of finger pointing and tit-for-tat accusations.

Councilman Carter Carroll accused Councilwoman Deborah Denard Delgado of stirring the pot with her comments, to which she responded:

“Henry (Councilman Naylor, who is black) and I voted for everybody regardless of race. You are white and you voted for only the white candidates. Pee on my foot and tell me it’s raining.”